mediadev library

"This report reveals a notable rise in perceived cybersecurity risk within the nonprofit sector, with 70% of organizations reporting an increased cyber risk profile in 2025, up from 51% in 2024. Encouragingly, confidence in managing these risks has also improved, with 56% of organizations feeling co ... more

"The three themes selected for exploration in this guidebook are: digital public goods, digital localization, and digital skills and rights. While none of these are new themes in technology and international development programming, they each represent increasingly important considerations for optim ... izing digital investments and rethinking the way. and rethinking the way digital development actors operate and create change through leveraging technology. DIGITAL LOCALIZATION. In response to growing development challenges with scarce resources, digital development practitioners are increasingly recognizing the benefits of greater access for local actors to resources, partnerships, decision making, and capacity strengthening. Exploring best practices for digital adaptation to specific contexts, reviewing lessons learned in fostering local ownership and local tech leadership, and understanding donor perspectives and consensus agreements such as the Grand Bargain will all be key steps in planning technology strategies effectively. It is important to note that the sector lacks a common definition of localization and its intended outcomes. DIGITAL PUBLIC GOODS. As digital development organizations have come to integrate technology into their strategy and approach, the reliance on proprietary solutions has brought challenges for sustainability and working with local partners from smaller NGOs to government entities. Building on developments in Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI), Digital Public Goods (DPGs) offer implementers new opportunities to reimagine approaches to better serve communities in need. DIGITAL SKILL AND RIGHTS. Digital transformation and local ownership must be built on a foundation of digital rights and digital skills to help create a more informed, equitable, and connected society. This past decade highlighted the need to apply international human rights to the digital arena and the interconnectedness of digital rights with physical protection. Donors and implementers must both align on issues such as access to information, privacy and security, and freedom of expression if digital investments are to yield sustainable societal outcomes and development impact. Local governments have an essential role to play in enabling the environment that allows a digital ecosystem to flourish and be free. Broad regulations such as GDPR, as well as organizational strategies by Oxfam and others to prioritize these insights will be key." (Introduction to key themes, pages 17-18) more

"This whitepaper establishes that there is misalignment on the implementation of digital enabling strategies between global headquarters and the local humanitarian and development programs of East Africa. As headquarters of international NGOs – mostly based in the global north – participate in a ... more

"This Digital Nonprofit Skills (“DNS”) Assessment is the second white paper in a series of benchmarks established by NetHope’s Center for the Digital Nonprofit that provide insight into the opportunities and challenges for transforming the nonprofit sector. The first white paper, the Digital N ... onprofit Ability (“DNA”) Assessment, measured the general readiness of NGOs for digital transformation by surveying respondent organizations’ progress along two axes: their connectedness with beneficiary interests, and the automation of their operations. Respondents, as a whole, achieved DNA scores that clustered just below the digital threshold, indicating they were Tech-Enabled nonprofits and approaching the point at which they were ready to become Digital nonprofits. The DNA study noted that digital transformation requires investment in three areas: people, process, and technology; and that the journey toward digital transformation starts with people changing the way they work made possible by technology. The DNA identified that the people and process categories were, on average, hindering NGO digital transformation. This second self-assessment takes the next step for participating NGOs by measuring certain details about the skills of people for future transformation efforts, focusing on six digitally-oriented aspects of how we work. To provide a broad assessment of skills, both across the sector and within organizations, the survey was taken by over 300 people from 49 nonprofits (37 of which are NetHope members) representing $20.6 billion of annual aid, covering seven job functions and six categories of humanitarian organizations, and representing every geographical region of the world except Australia. Respondents answered 18 questions in six categories which represent the structure of NetHope’s Digital Skills Framework that is based upon research into technology trends, existing frameworks, and digital skills needed for success. Respondents answered each question twice: once on behalf of their organization according to their beliefs about the organization as a whole (the organization score), and a second time answering strictly on their own behalf as they would rate themselves (the individual score). more

2025 State of Humanitarian and Development Cybersecurity Report: Continued progress, but more is needed to keep pace with rapidly evolving threats

Digital Development Guidebook

Libro Blanco de la Transformación Digital del Tercer Sector en América Latina

Informing an Uncertain Future II: Localizing Strategic Alignment with a conceptual analysis of 75 interviews with social impact leaders from East Africa

The Digital Nonprofit Skills Assessment

Guía práctica de internet: Acercando el uso de la red a las organzaciones comunitarias